Shewalul Mengistu

• Born — 11 September 1944 • Birthplace — Hararghe, Ethiopia • Died — 26 May 1977 • Place of death — Addis Ababa, Ethiopia • Death Cause — assassinated by being shot • Occupation — poet, songwriter, journalist and political activist

Mengistu was born in Hararghe, Ethiopia, to a middle-class family. Her father was a musician who played the bägäna, a ten-stringed lyre. Mengistu was married at the age of 13 to a commander in the Ethiopian security forces. They had five children and later divorced.

In 1973, Mengistu was employed by the Ministry of Information in Addis Ababa, where she produced radio and television programmes aimed at women. Mengistu spoke Amharic and Oromo and wrote the song Erè Mèla Mèla, most known when sung by Mahmoud Ahmed. She also became a political writer, with her works including several poems (one of which was banned from broadcasting and publication) and a pamphlet critical of Ethiopian society.

She became a member of the Marxist-Leninist party of Mengistu Haile Mariam, who later became dictator. She was assassinated in Addis Ababa in 1977, dying after being shot.